Chapter 58

Chapter 58

After stepping out of the store, the six of them stood by the curb waiting for a ride.

Noticing Zhang Ruochuan still looked upset, Xie Ci, feeling it was his duty as an adult, thought it necessary to offer some guidance. While dating might not be a priority, it shouldn’t interfere with other parts of life, especially with finals approaching. For an ordinary high school student, grades were still crucial.

Zhang Ruochuan wasn’t sure who to turn to, but when Xie Ci inquired, he softly explained what had been going on between them lately.

Xie Ci said in a low voice, "You’ve been seeing her a lot more often recently. With the pressure of finals, what’s your plan with her?"

Zhang Ruochuan shook his head in panic, "I haven’t thought about taking things further. It’s the same as always. It’s getting colder, and I’m afraid she might get sick from overworking. I just want to check on her to feel at ease."

Xie Ci pondered, "What you’re doing might be making her feel pressured, making her think you’re looking for something more."

"Really?"

Zhang Ruochuan frowned, "I’m happy with the way things are. Besides, I have my own studies to focus on. How could I have the energy to think about these things?"

Xie Ci comforted him, "Then find a moment to share how you feel."

Zhang Ruochuan nodded, but hesitated, "She might already be fed up with me."

Xie Ci said, "If she were annoyed, she’d have stopped talking to you ages ago. Would she have given you those gloves?"

Zhang Ruochuan was about to nod when he suddenly realized something and looked up at Xie Ci in confusion, "How did you know she gave me gloves?"

Xie Ci replied, "...I guessed."

He couldn’t exactly admit he’d seen it by accident.

Seeing Zhang Ruochuan's mood improve, Fang Size and Jiang Chenyu exchanged a glance, both relieved, thinking to themselves, ‘It had to be Lao Xie,’ a real life coach, way more dependable than the wild Lao Gu.

Gu Yufeng observed Xie Ci giving the kid advice. After they finished speaking, he moved closer and draped an arm over Xie Ci’s shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the row of ginkgo trees across the street, and said leisurely, "No surprise coming from the seasoned President Xie, you could probably teach a class on dating."

At first glance, the comment sounded playful, but the more you thought about it, the more it seemed laced with jealousy.

Xie Ci turned to look at him, "Are you jealous?"

Gu Yufeng met his gaze, "Why would I be jealous? It’s not like I’ve just met you."

Knowing someone for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean you understand each other, especially when one is deliberately hiding something.

Xie Ci said without expression, "We’ve only hooked up, never actually dated."

The statement was quite blunt, and Xie Ci thought that given his rapport with Gu Yufeng, he would instantly understand.

However, Gu Yufeng misunderstood and immediately thought of Xiao Fang, feeling a bit unsettled.

Xie Ci saw Robertson driving over, preparing to pull over, and heard Gu Yufeng mutter softly in his ear.

"Your shy, hesitant ex-husband, and yet you jump into bed with a 200-pound guy without a second thought."

"..."

Xie Ci glanced at Gu Yufeng in confusion, "What 200-pound man?"

Gu Yufeng didn’t elaborate further.

As for Xiao Fang, he wasn’t so sure.

In both lifetimes put together, he had only heard two sleep talks and had never noticed any signs of Xiao Fang in Xie Ci's life.

Perhaps, just like the investigation in his previous life, Xie Ci's attitude towards his ex was as if they were dead, completely cutting ties and never mentioning them again.

After experiencing the post-breakup island escape and chase and both being reborn back to their youth, from the initial searching and testing the waters to that night when Xie Ci held him and said, "Let's start over," he believed Xie Ci was serious.

As for Xiao Fang, he was just a bit bothered.

Asking Xie Ci specifically about such a trivial matter would make him seem immature and ridiculous. So many people had surrounded Xie Ci before, and he had never inquired. Now, looking back and bringing up the past.

If they really wanted to dig up old accounts, they could play the blame game for days and nights.

Jiang Chenyu and Wang Hao were chatting about watching the soccer game on Saturday and turned to ask Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci, "Do you want to come to my house tomorrow to watch the game together? I'll pick you up!"

Gu Yufeng: "No, Lao Xie and I have a date."

He said it so seriously that it made the three of them laugh, with Jiang Chenyu laughing the loudest.

"You two on a date? Is it a basketball match or a badminton battle?"

Fang Size, with Jiang Chenyu's arm around his shoulder, adjusted his glasses and thought to himself that this kid was clueless.

What Lao Gu said was probably true.

Gu Yufeng looked at Xie Ci with an ambiguous smile: "We might opt for something more physically intense."

Xie Ci: "..."

Can't go a day without being playful.

Returning home, Xie Ci passed through the small garden from the office building side and went to the two-story home at the back.

Xiao Fang, playing in the yard, heard his footsteps and ran over with a small ball in his mouth.

The dog was a bit too heavy, and Xie Ci was pushed back half a step by it. He rubbed its increasingly hefty head: "You really should shed some pounds."

Xiao Fang whimpered twice, wagging its tail like crazy.

In the kitchen, Xie Qian was preparing dinner for the father and son.

Somehow, he had ended up taking over the cooking. At first, he couldn't even tell if the food was cooked, but now he was doing quite well.

Xie Ci just glanced at the kitchen, didn't step in, and took the dog to the basketball court.

At the dining table, Xie Ci noticed that his father Xie Qian, sitting across from him, seemed a bit uneasy and casually asked, "Did the Xie family contact you?"

"No."

Xie Qian put down his chopsticks and hesitated before speaking, "First Middle School sent a message notifying that I need to attend a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow afternoon."

Xie Ci then remembered this matter: "You don't want to go?"

Such big group events were probably not something to look forward to for a homebody with social anxiety.

Having his thoughts directly addressed, Xie Qian slightly lowered his head to avoid Xie Ci's gaze, thought for a moment, and then said, "It's not that I don't want to attend, but I heard that if a student's grades decline, the parents are called up to the podium to speak. I've been thinking for days and still don't know what to say."

After saying this, Xie Qian scratched his face in embarrassment, feeling a bit silly for worrying about such a small thing.

Xie Ci wanted to say, "That's it?"

Not wanting to upset the fragile old man, Xie Ci spoke lightly, "Don't you usually deal with a bunch of students in class? Is it really necessary to be so nervous?"

Xie Qian: "It's different, I feel uneasy."

"..."

Xie Ci felt a bit helpless, "Don't worry, my grades are stable now. Lao Xiang won't single you out, just sit back and let him drone on."

"Really?" Xie Qian suddenly looked up at Xie Ci.

Xie Ci nodded: "Really."

Meanwhile, Gu Yufeng was pretty laid-back. Gu Yongnian was likely to be called up, depending on whether Lao Xiang would spare the sponsor's feelings. But Gu Yongnian had been through it all, and might just give a long speech, turning the parent-teacher meeting into a corporate keynote.

"That's good." Xie Qian let out a sigh of relief and served Xie Ci a bowl of soup.

Seeing how much he'd relaxed, Xie Ci found it amusing: "So happy?"

Xie Qian: "My kid's doing great, I got off easy."

Xie Ci shook his head and laughed.

They were both figuring out how to be father and son, but in the end, the atmosphere always felt more like friends.

The next day, after taking the dog out and finishing two practice exams, Xie Ci checked the time—9:20—and got up to change into his outdoor clothes.

His phone on the desk vibrated.

Gu Yufeng: "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Xie Ci replied and ran into Xie Qian coming out of his room in the small hall. He gave him a casual nod: "I'm heading out, won't be home for lunch, no need to prepare for me."

Xie Qian waved at him: "Help me out, what should I wear to school?"

Xie Ci thought he would still wear his worn-out shoes to the parent-teacher meeting; the old guy really didn't care how he looked.

After following him into the dressing room and looking around, Xie Ci asked: "You don't want to stick out, right?"

Xie Qian nodded eagerly: "The more low-key, the better."

Xie Ci casually picked out trousers, a sweater, and a long coat: "No need to go all out, if you don't want to stand out, remember to wear leather shoes."

Xie Qian agreed to everything.

"I won't let you down this time."

Xie Ci wanted to say he didn't care, but since the old guy was unusually fired up, he let it be.

As he walked out the door, a familiar Land Rover was waiting by the curb.

Xie Ci opened the back door and got in: "Hold out your hand."

Gu Yufeng, puzzled, opened his palm, and watched as Xie Ci took two boiled eggs from his pocket and placed them in his hand, still warm: "Handing me your eggs first thing in the morning, what are you trying to say?"

Robertson in the front seat: "..."

So the young boss has a wild side too.

"Shut up and eat." Xie Ci was used to Gu Yufeng's mouth. He shut the door, buckled up, and nodded at Robertson to get going.

Gu Yufeng handed him a cup of coffee while peeling an egg and asked, "How did you know I hadn't eaten?"

"Just a hunch."

Xie Ci took it, "Is today's schedule all set?"

Gu Yufeng ate the egg, remained silent for a while, and then calmly tossed him a folded piece of paper: "Everything's in there."

Xie Ci always felt something was off, opened it, and his eyelids twitched.

"Are you serious?"

Gu Yufeng avoided his gaze: "I guess so."

For their first date after being reborn, Gu Yufeng didn't want Robertson tagging along, so they got off the car about a hundred meters before the destination and walked over at a leisurely pace.

The amusement park had just opened, and the ticket booth was packed with parents and young couples.

Seeing the flashy facilities inside, Gu Yufeng started to get cold feet before even entering: "Isn't it a bit weird for people our age to be here?"

After saying that, Gu Yufeng remembered they were teenagers now.

"Let's go."

Xie Ci didn't mind at all and calmly went to the back of the line to queue.

Gu Yufeng: "You really want to go?"

Xie Ci countered: "Wasn't this your idea?"

Gu Yufeng quietly stopped talking and followed Xie Ci to queue for tickets.

Xie Ci glanced at the itinerary in his hand: "First up, the roller coaster. Let's go."

Gu Yufeng: "..."

It was a sunny day with no wind, and the temperature had slightly risen, making it a rare good weather recently. However, after one ride on the roller coaster, they were nearly frozen stiff.

Xie Ci stepped out of the car and turned to pull Gu Yufeng, amused by his dazed expression and messy hair.

"Was it fun?"

"Fun? Yeah, right."

Gu Yufeng held onto Xie Ci's hand to step out, rubbing his chilled face, his ears buzzing.

"Cold?" Xie Ci reached out to cover Gu Yufeng's cold face, said gently with a serious look, "This is just the first ride, nine more to go. Hang in there, President Gu."

Gu Yufeng, feeling a bit touched: "...Making fun of me?"

"Complimenting your planning."

Xie Ci looked at Gu Yufeng's hair and helped him tidy it up, "Your hair's all messed up."

Gu Yufeng stood still, letting Xie Ci fix his hair.

"Yours too."

Xie Ci didn't mind, just ran his fingers through it, leaving his hair tousled, which somehow looked better.

Xie Ci noticed Gu Yufeng looking over: "Still messy?"

Gu Yufeng casually ruffled it: "Looks pretty cool."

By the third ride, Gu Yufeng gave up trying. He snatched the schedule, glanced at it, and went to a nearby stall to buy a cup of milk tea for Xie Ci: "The first cup of milk tea this winter."

Xie Ci, seeing him go through the motions with a perfunctory and numb attitude, thought it was funny and took a sip, then frowned: "It tastes awful."

Gu Yufeng turned back to look at the stall in confusion: "I saw several people drinking from this place."

"Don’t believe me? Have a taste."

Xie Ci held the milk tea to Gu Yufeng's mouth.

Without much thought, Gu Yufeng took a sip from his hand. When he looked up and saw Xie Ci smiling, he realized he had been tricked and asked casually: "Did Mr. Xie like to play such tricks when you were with others before?"

Xie Ci countered: "Does Mr. Gu fall for it so easily with others?"

Gu Yufeng let out a short laugh: "Does it bother you?"

Xie Ci: "If I said I didn’t care at all, you’d get upset again."

"Not at all."

Gu Yufeng walked with him to the next ride, "I’m okay with my partner not liking me, and of course, I can also accept him not caring about my affairs. Actually, it might be easier that way."

Xie Ci noticed his expression as he spoke, thinking it was nonsense.

Who was it that got upset and disappeared just because they weren’t noticed?

Not far away, a group of young people gathered around a food stall.

"Isn’t that the second son of the Gu family?" One of the boys looked in the direction of Xie Ci and patted his companion, "I’m nearsighted, can you check for me?"

The companion strained to see through the crowd: "That’s Gu Yufeng! And isn’t that Xie Ci next to him?"

The boy excitedly took a photo with his phone and sent a message to Gu Churan.

"The second son of the Gu family is actually on a date with a guy at the amusement park!"

"There must be others," the companion said, confused.

The boy: "But I just saw them sharing a cup of milk tea!"

"No way!"

This successfully caught the attention of the others, who all looked in that direction, but Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng had already walked away.

The boy’s phone vibrated, and a new message appeared in the chat window.

Mr. Gu: "Follow them and take more pictures."

But by the time the group caught up, Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng were already out of sight.

Most of the attractions on the schedule were water-based, but due to the cold weather, they were closed. The two switched to indoor activities like escape rooms to pass the time. By noon, they took a taxi to a high-end Western restaurant Gu Yufeng had reserved.

The quiet and elegant environment finally gave Gu Yufeng a sense of familiarity. Amid the melodious violin music, scenes from his past life dates with Xie Ci flashed before his eyes.

In his past life, they had met at a mature age, both busy with work. Even during the "honeymoon phase" before marriage, they only occasionally went out for meals. Xie Ci arranged activities like watching stage plays, which allowed them to relax without needing much conversation. He didn’t have to constantly think about how to respond, and since both had intentions of an arranged marriage, even what he thought would be the most problematic aspect—their intimate life—was harmonious. It all went so smoothly, as if they had pressed the fast-forward button, skipping countless steps and quickly getting married.

But in this world, no two people are perfectly compatible; they just learn to accommodate each other.

Gu Yufeng looked at the person across the table.

The once elegant and composed President Xie had become a relaxed, vibrant, and masculine Xie Ci.

It wasn’t just his appearance and age that had changed; even his personality was different from before. Familiar yet strange, it left Gu Yufeng feeling a bit disoriented. There were moments when he felt a pang of panic, wondering if the person before him was the Xie Ci he knew.

"Why are you zoning out? Are you tired?" Xie Ci asked softly, "If you’re tired, we can skip the afternoon plans."

Gu Yufeng snapped out of it, "We haven’t done anything, why would I be tired?"

Xie Ci picked up the itinerary and glanced at it, "Next up, flying kites in the park."

Gu Yufeng’s hand, holding the wine glass, paused slightly. When Xie Ci looked over, he awkwardly looked away.

Xie Ci teased, "Where did you get this from? You didn’t even fix the typos, just copied it mindlessly?"

Gu Yufeng braced himself and replied, "We’ve done all the usual stuff, so why not try something different?"

After the meal, Xie Ci looked up the park on his phone’s GPS.

Gu Yufeng was speechless, "Are we really going to fly kites? Won’t people think we’re crazy?"

"Wasn’t this your plan?" Xie Ci replied casually while looking at the navigation.

Flying kites was off the table, but the two still went for a walk in a nearby park.

On a sunny weekend afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.

The park was bustling with people, mostly nearby residents who had brought their kids out to enjoy the sun. They spread mats on the grass, set out some fruits and snacks, and spent the afternoon playing with their kids.

Xie Ci led Gu Yufeng away from the crowd, walking up a slope and sitting down under a tree.

The sun was a bit warm, so both of them took off their jackets and set them aside.

Gu Yufeng, feeling lazy from the sun, lay down and rested his head on Xie Ci’s thigh, sighing, "It’s great to be young again. Even resting my head on a friend’s thigh won’t be seen as weird."

"Isn’t it uncomfortable?" Xie Ci leaned against the tree trunk, following his lead.

Gu Yufeng buried his face in Xie Ci’s waist, "Feels great."

"..."

Xie Ci gently touched his head, "Isn’t it too bright?"

The touch on his head and the soft whisper in his ear brought back a sense of familiarity for Gu Yufeng. He couldn’t help but wrap his arms around Xie Ci’s waist and cuddle closer.

"It’s fine."

Gu Yufeng’s skin was sensitive to the sun; too much sun would make it red and cause rashes. Xie Ci took his jacket and covered Gu Yufeng’s head, but after doing so, he suddenly realized how awkward their position looked.

It was like a perfectly good picture that had been unnecessarily blurred, inviting unnecessary thoughts.

Xie Ci tried to adjust his position but suddenly felt a light bite on his chest. He froze, "Behave."

A slight vibration came from his waist. Xie Ci opened his jacket to find someone laughing uncontrollably.

"Still find it funny?"

Gu Yufeng turned over and lay flat, looking up at Xie Ci from below: "Were you just having some naughty thoughts?"

Xie Ci raised an eyebrow: "How do you always know?"

Gu Yufeng held his hand and kissed it: "Wanna give it a shot? Didn’t you always say I was great at it?"

Xie Ci: "..."

Could those compliments have just been lip service?

But honestly, it did improve over time.

Xie Ci didn’t linger on this fleeting thought, his attention entirely focused on the person in front of him. He stroked his face, played with his earlobe, like petting a lazy cat, and said expressionlessly: "I’d hate to spend such a nice day in jail."

His phone buzzed in his coat pocket, and Xie Ci took it out and handed it to Gu Yufeng.

Gu Yufeng unlocked it right in front of Xie Ci to check. There were several messages.

Dad Gu: "Xiao Feng, Dad is heading to your school now."

Dad Gu: "I met Xiao Xie’s dad—wow, he’s a looker!"

Dad Gu: "I moved to sit next to him, but he doesn’t seem too thrilled."

Dad Gu: "Hey, has Xiao Xie ever said what his dad’s into?"

Gu Yufeng looked up and asked Xie Ci: "What does your dad like?"

Xie Ci thought seriously. He didn’t know much about his dad. Besides painting, the only thing he could think of was cooking.

Gu Yufeng replied: "He said he’s into cooking."

A reply came quickly.

Dad Gu: "Got it. You with Xiao Xie? Have fun, then."

Gu Yufeng: "We’re good."

Xie Ci: "..."

Just replying without thinking?